Open-Source EHR Systems for Ambulatory Care: A Market Assessment

January 9, 2008

Samuel Faus

Walter Sujansky

This is archived content; for historical reference only.

Open-source electronic health record (EHR) systems have proliferated in recent years. This executive summary presents the findings from an evaluation designed to determine whether these systems, commonly referred to as free and open-source software (FOSS), are suitable for ambulatory EHRs.

The authors investigated a number of FOSS EHR projects to assess their organizational structures, development communities, functional capabilities, and available implementation and support services. The evaluation also analyzed the potential advantages of FOSS EHR systems for physician practices, as well as the limitations and general challenges of this alternative approach to acquiring clinical information technology.

The summary findings, along with a series of appendices providing detailed assessments of each system, background information, and resources, are available under Document Downloads.